The other side
by Bint-Anath
Summary: Oneshot. Hermione and Draco 'discuss' blood and the role Slytherins plays. The purebloodthing seen from the other side. Sets in HBP.


_**A/N:**__**Important: **__This is my first try to write a fic in English! So please, if it's horribly wrong, tell me and I'll delete it :)_

_It takes places after potion lessons in HBP.__ Just some thoughts that came to my mind._

**The other side**

Hermione was angry. She had to bring up all her will power not to scream out of frustration as she sat down on her favourite chair in the library. All her bad conscience was gone. She was simply mad at Harry. _Again_, he had ruined all her hard work, without working himself. Again, _he_ had earned Slughorn's praise. For nothing but a _bezoar_. For nothing but some stupid stone out of a goat's bowel!

"Look, look", suddenly a voice said, interrupting Hermione's gloomy thoughts. "The mudblood is angry."

"Shove off, Malfoy", Hermione spat, without looking up. „I don't want to deal with your arrogance right now."

"Granger, I have to admit, I'm disappointed."

Hermione groanend and banged her books more noisy than needed on the tabel in front of her. The last thing she wanted, was having his stupid insults thrown her way.

"Not only", Malfoy continued, his voice dripping with mock, "that you failed against Potter in potions. You are also _angry_ at him, just because he's better than you. Tss tss tss."

Hermione furiously looked up to him. There he stood, with this nonchalant arrogance of his, which he displayed day in, day out. But his face was, even for him, strangely pale. Under his eyes lay dark shadows, which gave him an unhealthy look.

"Just leave", Hermione said. "I'm not in the mood right now to deal with your stupid Slytherin prejudices."

"You do know that your behaviour doesn't really fit into Gryffindor, do you, mudblood?" Malfoy asked, acting as if he hadn't heard her. "... to hate a friend, simply because he's better than you are."

"Oh really, Malfoy, that's ridiculous. I don't _hate_ Harry!"

"You are angry because he's better than you. Does a Gryffindor act like that? No. A Hufflepuff? Never. A Ravenclaw? Maybe, but not likely. And… a Slytherin?

"Don't you dare", Hermione hissed. "To associate _me_ with your pack of idiotic Slytherins full of prejudices! _Leave_!"

But to her displeasure Malfoy did the exact opposite. He sat down on the chair in front of her und leaned towards her.

"You think you are so incredibly great by telling us again and again how very full of prejudices we are, don't you? Wake up, already, Granger. You can't be _that_ stupid. Don't you have any prejudices? Oh, I forgot, you guys are in _Gryffindor_. As long es the evil Slytherins exist, there's no need to think about your own mistakes. Your own prejudices."

"Ridiculous, Malfoy. You are talking-"

"Let's take you for example, Granger. As soon as you heard of Hogwarts and its for Houses, you were convinced that you don't belong to Slytherin. Only the mean, evil, sneaky cowards belong to Slytherin, isn't it so?"

"You call that prejudices? I call that _facts_. Nearly all dark wizards were form Slytherin House. Therefore, Hogwarts would do much better without it."

Malfoy laughed joylessly.

"Really? Is that so? I'm sorry to disappoint you there, Granger."

Hermione snorted disdainfully.

"Hogwarts _needs_ Slytherin."

"What are you doing here, Malfoy? Trying to embarrass yourself? Works really good."

"Granger, it's really simple. I will explain it to you. Slytherin sticks Hogwarts together. Without Slytherin, the other three houses wouldn't have anything to ally against. Without Slytherin, there would be nothing that makes them think, they are 'good persons'. No matter what you do, what you say or what you think – _you_ are never _bad_. Cause Slytherin is always worse. You Gryffindors – without Slytherin you would think of youselves as normal humans, not as super heroes."  
"That's not true-"

"Without Slytherins, the competition between the Houses would be senseless."

"That's nonsense, Malfoy. Not everything is about _you_!"

"Your ambitios to win would get weaker, if you have to fight against the other 'good guys'."

Malfoy paused for a moment, while Hermione watched him surprised. Who would have thought, that he spent time thinking about things like that?"

"And that's why we Slytherins become what we are. There are some, who don't come from a family like... mine. In the beginning, they are just like every other first-year. But soon they become, what _you_ see in them. As soon as the Sorting Hat puts someone into Slytherin, you think that child is planning the next ambuscade. Ridiculous. Honestly, sometimes I get the impression you guys really think, that _every_ _fourth_ student is a potantial murderer."

"Malfoy, I can't believe it! Are you seriously trying to tell me, that you Slytherins are in truth nothing but poor, missunderstood children? That _we_ made you, what you are?"

"I am simply trying to open your eyes, Granger."

"That's – I can't believe it!" A new wave of rage came over Hermione. "Who do you think you are? You are acting is if you were in a worse state than us! If you haven't noticed, Malfoy, _we_ are the ones, who have to worry about their families. We are _not_ the ones, who stalk around carefree and-"

She fall silent. Malfoy's grey eyes pierced with such coldness into hers, that a shiver ran over her back. His unnatural pale skin underlined the coldness, that somehow came from him.

"You don't know nothing. Absolutly _nothing_." He shook with rage. His white lips were pressed to a thin line. "We are _always_ the first. The first to be blamed, because we are Slytherins. The first who fight, because we are Slytherins-"

"Fight?", Hermione echoed furiously. „Fight – against _our_ families! We are sitting here in fear-"

Malfoy's fist hit the wooden table, which stood between them. His knuckles were white as snow, his fingers shook. "No, mudblood", he said quietly."Our families have been the first. They have been in danger, before yours. They are _always_ in greater danger-"

"'Cause they are stupid!" The words came through Hermione's lips before she could think twice. "_Stupid_ and _obsessed_ with their delusion about blood."

"Granger, come down from your high horse. Blood. _Pure_ blood. Do you know what that implicates? No, of course not! For centuries, o_ur_ families have kept their traditions alive. Traditions, which wouldn't exist, if we hadn't stayed away from Muggles."

"Traditions? What traditions? Enslaving house-elves? Killing Muggles?"  
"Knowledge, Granger. _Knowledge_ and magical skills. My familiy owns knowledge, you can't even dream of. There are things, you can't find in books."

"Thanks Malfoy, but I'm not interested in the Dark Arts", Hermione spat.

But again, Malfoy acted as if he hadn't heard her words.

"Magical skilles can wither. Look at the Weasleys. Some hundred years ago they were one of those families, that owned an immense treasure of knowledge. They got involved with Muggles, without keeping their traditions. As soon as Muggles, or people like you, enter a wizard's life, he forgets to remember the ancient knowledge. Magic becomes a tool for everyday life. Look, where the Weasleys are now!"

"They are happy", Hermione said.

"Happy?", Malfoy echoed disdainfully. "Your Weasel-friend is happy that he passed the exams. He wouldn't have had to worry about that, if his family hadn't messed around with Muggles. Granger, listen to me. Without families like mine, many of these great little charms you learn by rote all the time wouldn't exist today. They would have fallen into oblivion, because people would have dealt with Muggles instead of Magic. Dealing with Muggles means, using magic only for everyday's life. People wouldn't _live_ magic anymore, wouldn't _study_ it anymore, wouldn't _understand_ it anymore. The advanced magic would have been forgotten, if it weren't for families like mine."

Hermione stared at Malfoy with burning eyes. She had risen, without noticing it.

"Go to hell, Malfoy", she hissed and stormed along the bookshelves, her robe blowing behind her. She had forgotten about her books, just as she hadn't heard his last, quietly muttered words.

"I'm already on my way."

**End****  
**

- - -

_**A/N:**__ This is only Malfoy opponion/theroy. He obvoiously forgot about Crabbe and Goyle being as stupid as trolls and Hermione being smarter than him._

_(thanks __**Ourkat**__ - yes, I meant everyday life)_


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